The next few pages contain four detailed examples (with a filled-in Schedule EIC and EIC Worksheets) that may be helpful if you have questions about claiming the EIC.taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167352
Cynthia and Jerry Grey have two children and are both employed.
Cynthia and Jerry Grey have two children, Kirk, age 8, and Susanne, age 6. The children lived with Cynthia and Jerry for all of 2009. Cynthia earned wages of $15,000 and Jerry had wages of $10,000. The Greys received $525 in interest on their savings account. They had no other income in 2009.
Cynthia and Jerry have the 2009 Form 1040A and instructions. They want to see if they qualify for the EIC, so they follow the steps in the instructions for lines 41a and 41b.taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167353
The amount Cynthia and Jerry entered on Form 1040A, line 22, was $25,525. They both have valid social security numbers (SSNs). They will file a joint return. Neither Cynthia nor Jerry is a nonresident alien. Therefore, the answers they give to the questions in Step 1 allow them to proceed to Step 2.taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167354
The only investment income the Greys have is their $525 interest income. That amount is not more than $3,100, so they answer "No" to the second question in Step 2 and go to Step 3.taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167355
Their children, Kirk and Susanne, meet the relationship, age, residency, and joint return tests to be Cynthia and Jerry's qualifying children, so Cynthia and Jerry answer "Yes" to the first question in Step 3. Kirk and Susanne are not qualifying children of anyone else. Both children have valid SSNs. Cynthia and Jerry are not qualifying children of anyone else, so they answer "No" to the second question in Step 3. This means they can skip Step 4 and go to Step 5.taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167356
Cynthia and Jerry figure their earned income to be $25,000, the amount of their combined wages. This is less than $45,295, so they go to Step 6 to figure their credit.taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167357
Cynthia and Jerry want to figure their EIC themselves, so they complete the EIC Worksheet in the Form 1040A instructions (shown on page 35).taxmap/wpubs/p596-016.htm#en_us_publink1000167358
Cynthia and Jerry complete their worksheet as follows.
- Cynthia and Jerry enter their total earned income ($25,000) on line 1.
- To find their credit, they go to the EIC Table (in the Appendix of this publication). The part of the EIC Table used in this example is on the next page. They find their earned income of $25,000 in the range of $25,000 to $25,050. They follow this line across to the column Two children under Married filing jointly and find $4,269. They enter $4,269 on line 2.
- They enter on line 3 their AGI ($25,525) and see that it is different from the amount on line 1.
- They look up $25,525 in the EIC Table and enter the amount of $4,163 on line 5.
- They enter $4,163 on line 6. This is the smaller of the line 2 amount ($4,269) and the line 5 amount ($4,163).
- The Greys enter $4,163 on line 41a of their Form 1040A. They will now complete Schedule EIC (shown on page 36) and attach it to their return. They will keep the EIC Worksheet for their records.